Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.

 

10 February 2014

Denise Juneau would have been a much better choice

Today Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced his choice for Lt. Governor: Angela McLean, head of the board of regents for Montana’s university system, a former schoolteacher. It strikes me as a pander to educators and identity politics appointment.

I'm left wondering whether Bullock simply has contempt for elected officials other than himself, or whether he’s so sure he’ll never die in office that he’s not obligated to choose someone who’s ready to be governor if a wayward asteroid obliterates him on his way home tonight.

I wish Ms. McLean well. But I also wish Bullock had chosen someone who had at least run for dogcatcher. Given he wanted to appoint an educator and woman, Denise Juneau would have been a much better choice. Juneau has won statewide office twice, and her star shines brightly. Perhaps it shines too brightly for Bullock’s comfort.